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Hitman 2 Review
Chris Leyton
00/12/0000
Perfecting the problems levelled at the original has resulted in a near-perfecreturn for Codename: 47...
Thereâs certain careers that make better videogames then others, who wants to be a plumber when the chance of a Formaula-1 driver of Professional Football player is up for stakes. Another of those jobs that makes for good videogames would have to be the role of a Hitman. Now the average Joe wouldnât come anywhere near to being one in real-life, however letâs admit it who hasnât fantasised about taking out a corrupt General with nothing more then your cunning wits and a piece of wire (Ok that might just be me).
Hitman 2 is the sequel to the 2000 PC title; once again you take the role of the genetically engineered assassin Codename: 47, brought out of retirement with the recent abduction of his close friend and ally the Priest.
Despite some very memorable moments the first title suffered from a number of major flaws, in particular a tricky control system and difficulty bordering on impossible. The sequel improves virtually every problem levelled at the original and fully realises the prospect of becoming a Hitman.
The games 20 missions take place across the world in a number of distinct locations. Whilst they all share virtually the same objectives â“ enter the location, find the target, kill the target, get out of there- each one gives a number of different ways of completing it; those wishing to go in and slaughter any one that gets in there way will be just as able as the ruthless gamer who leaves just the one target corpse behind. This is perhaps the games greatest strength as every single mission feels as though youâre totally in control, for example one mission sees you having to take out a corrupt general. The action addict may choose to wade into the building guns blaring, however the smarter approach would be to locate the building opposite and take him out with a carefully placed sniper shot.
The original proved to be a very frustrating affair because when things went wrong it meant instant death. Thankfully the sequel gives you far greater freedom for the guns blaring approach, so that when things go wrong (and believe me they will do) you can always have the option of whipping out your Bolsters and letting them have it.
To help you through your missions youâll have access to a number of weapons, ranging from pistols, rifles and shotguns to chloroform, knives and the Hitmanâs weapon of choice the fibre-wire. You can also make use of everyday items such as golf clubs and kitchen knifes, it seems the developers have thought about every trick of the trade of a Hitman, so no matter your strategy youâll have the right weapons to do the job.
Of course the job of a Hitman doesnât just revolve around weapons, youâll have a hard job trying to stay concealed from the various guards, policemen and enemies that populate each level. If you fancy yourself as a bit of a Rambo you can just wade in with your guns, however the true Hitman will take one out quietly and efficiently and then use their clothes as a disguise. Be warned however, because a change of clothes doesnât necessarily mean an easy life. Because of the fantastic AI if you caught looking suspicious youâll soon arouse attention, so if youâre caught trying to pick a lock the guards will instantly look past your disguise. One mission in the game asks you to infiltrate a Military Base and rescue a hostage whoâs being forcefully interrogated in the basement. Feeling brave I decided to don a disguise and walk freely around the base, however every time you pass a guard youâll begin to arouse their attention as they slowly glance across at you. The tension that this creates is almost unbearable as youâre never quite sure whether the next guard will spot you through your disguise or not, fantasticâ¦
In fact thatâs another of the games strong points, the levels are absolutely fantastic and a joy to play; be it snooping around an enemy base in disguise to taking up a sniper position and slowly being told descriptions of your target until you could confirm who it was. Every mission kept me glued to my seat, keeping me hooked until I completed it just to see what the next one entailed. I canât even remember the last time that a game has kept me so enthralled, however that could just be the twisted side of my natureâ¦
The control system itself is a major improvement upon the clunky system of the original, within minutes youâll get used to picking up items, dragging bodies, shooting and garrotting the enemy. Itâs a very intuitive system that uses every button and pad on the controller; the two analogue sticks are used to move and look around, the shoulder buttons provide a variety of moves such as shooting, reloading and crouching, whilst the face buttons are mainly used to navigate through the various context-sensitive menuâs that allow you to perform a variety of different actions ranging from picking locks to dragging bodies.
Perhaps the only criticism I can level at Hitman 2 is in regards to the real-time map, which becomes a crucial item in your inventory. Whilst I like the fact thatâs itâs real-time and doesnât break up the action, you have to press select and ten select it. Itâs too slow and clunky and would benefit if you could select it quicker, as there are times when itâs slow nature can cause problems for you.
To alleviate the difficulty issues levelled at the original there are three difficulty levels and the ability to save mid-game. The Normal difficulty allows you to survive quite a bit of damage and seven save points per mission. The Expert level ups the difficulty and only grants you two save points, whilst the Professional mode sees you sustaining critical damage whenever you get hit and no save points. At the end of each stage youâll be gauged on how you completed the mission, taking into account your level of stealth, accuracy and a number of other options. Itâs a very accomplished system that should appeal to all gamers and provide a game that lasts well beyond most other action/adventure titles.
The amazing visuals surprised us to begin with; we even had to make sure it was the Playstation2 version we were playing and not the Xbox! For starters the game features varied, detailed and most surprisingly clean textures, something weâre not too used to seeing on the Playstation2. The various locations youâll travel to are often expansive affairs packed with the smallest detail such as trees moving in the wind, whilst the real-time dynamic lights that create shadows on all characters provides the icing on the cake. Combined with the fact that a huge amount of indoor locations are rendered without any loading in between missions and youâve got easily one of the best looking titles in the genre to date. Increasing the realism and something that youâll probably not appreciate until you see it, are the âRag-Doll Physicsâ. The illusion of a game has always been broken when you see a pre-determined death sequence that results in corpses lying in thin air, this system allows characters to realistically fall down stairs when theyâve been shot, weapons fly off and character slump over railings. Tied into this is the ability to shoot through doors and objects that are penetrable, so if you donât fancy entering a room simply check it out through the keyhole to scout their locations and let em ave itâ¦
Completing the polished package is a rousing and varied musical score from the Budapest Symphony Orchestra. Each different location has music to suit the culture and help to set the tone of each one, whilst youâll find in kicking in when the action gets heated and playing on you when things are slightly more tense. The same level of accomplishment can also be paid to the sound effects and voice acting, characters all talk in their native languages and weapons all sound as they should, so thereâs no clanking of metal when you shoot against a wooden door.
